World News | South Africa Launches High-level Covid-19 Vaccination Drive

Johannesburg, Sep 9 (PTI) The South African government has launched a project to boost Covid-19 vaccinations amid increasing anti-vaccination campaigns fuelled by fake social media messages.

Deputy President David Mabuza, who is leading the mass vaccination drive, was joined by leaders from the political, business, cultural, sporting and creative arts sectors at the launch of the social mobilisation campaign titled ‘Return to Play – It's in your Hands' on Wednesday.

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The title reflects the campaign's essence -- to revive sporting activities at stadiums and mass events such as music festivals for vaccinated people.

“These events are important to the life of our economy," Mabuza said, noting that vaccination can address the worrying number of unemployed youths who are due to the closing of the activities offered by the creative sector.

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“The social mobilisation campaign must assist us to ramp up our vaccination programme to reach a required target of herd immunity so that we are able to open sport and entertainment venues. Vaccines remain our hope to unlock the country and ensure that the creative industries and the sporting economies return to some normality,” he said.

Only about six million South Africans have been vaccinated so far, a long way from the 40 million needed to achieve the herd immunity, which government targets to reach before this year-end ahead of a fourth wave predicted by experts.

“If we desire to return to stadiums, to theatres and arenas, to concerts and to fashion shows, it lies within us to go out and mobilise for the vaccination of our communities...We have no doubt that, with the active participation of leaders and practitioners in the creative sectors and sport, we will reach every village, every suburb and every street corner to get South Africans vaccinated,” Mabuza said.

He also called on everyone to support education efforts aimed at sharing the benefits of vaccines and dispelling myths about them. "In that way, we will ensure that we eliminate vaccine hesitancy and save more lives in the process,” he said.

South Africa is rapidly approaching the three million mark for infections, with over 83,000 deaths from Covid-19 complications confirmed by the authorities.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)